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Yorefi Talinblade
Yorefi Talinblade is a Sargerithian most noteworthy for his political and military presence in Greater Sargeroth. (These sections are not entirely chronological) Childhood Yorefi was born within Sargeroth during the 3rd era. His father was a Sargeroth guard and his mother worked to take care of him and his 5 siblings. They lived in a Cliffside apartment and were all considered normal Sargerithian citizens. Yorefi's father, Korora, was a nominal guard and passed away before Yorefi reached adulthood. He was the oldest of the 6 children in the family. When Yorefi was 16, his father was murdered by an unknown criminal while on patrol. After his death, Yorefi helped to support the family by enlisting with the Sargeroth guard. Despite his help, several difficult years led to 4 of his 5 siblings succumbing to disease. The remainder of his family then moved into low Sargeroth due to the costs of burial as well as the psychological effect the ordeal had on Yorefi's mother. It was only months until his mother committed suicide leaving just Yorefi and his younger sister Una. Not much is known about this time of Yorefi's life. It is known that during this time period Yorefi accepted a faith in the Floating church and began attending services at the sanctuary in the Old Sargeroth district with his sister. The two quickly became regular attenders and volunteers to distribute religious material and gain more followers. Yorefi was even known to distribute information as well as direct the poor and destitute to the Floating sanctuary while on duty as a guard. He became known amongst the poorer demographics as a kind-hearted guard. However, it was years until Yorefi would truly distinguish himself as a soldier. "Talin-blade" As the City Guard grew, the need for improved training procedures became readily apparent. Military officers, with the memory of Khal Menion's distinguishing actions which if heeded earlier might have avoided the Division war, were open and willing to hear ideas from within the ranks on how training might be improved. Yorefi, a 9 year veteran by then, was one of the first to speak to the officers about training improvements. He advised that the southern wastes, also known as the killing fields could be used to create a more resilient and dependable military. The large population of beasts and brigands in the southern wastes made it a potential proving ground for recruits. he volunteered to put the idea into practice with a group of 15 volunteer recruits under the promise that all 15 would return safely and fully prepared for installment into the ranks. The group left for the south and returned 2 months later, the entire number having survived. Not only the fighting ability but the military disposition of the returning soldiers was superior to that of even some veteran soldiers. Immediately Yorefi was praised for his abilities to lead and was instated as a Captain of his own 100 soldier garrison. The reports of the 15 men who traveled with Yorefi, (4 of which were eventually instated as Imperial Guards themselves) told of his valor and courage during the 2 month training. One particular event earned him the Family name, Talinblade. One night, the troop was camped along the far South Ridge, on the edge of explored territory. The fire guard, the one tasked with keeping the camp fire stoked had fallen asleep. The fading light invited beasts of the area who were soon upon the camp. Hearing a commotion outside, Yorefi ran out of his tent without his weapon to see what was happening. He saw the silhouettes of several wolves attacking the fire guard. Without thinking, Yorefi ran back into his tent to grab his sword, but in the dark grabbed the carcass of a hawk which had been his meal that evening. Knowing he had little time to save the soldier's life, Yorefi began yelling for the other soldiers to wake up and tore off the Talins of the bird. He then ran back out and lunged at the closest wolf which was on top of the fire guard. He grabbed the wolf's head and gouged out its eyes with the hawk's Talons. As the other soldiers ran out of their tents, the pack of wolves began to retreat but not before Yorefi wrestled the wolf he had a hold of to the ground and cut its stomach wide open with the Talons. The attacked soldier was wounded yet instead of bandaging him up himself, Yorefi immediately relit the fire and demanded that the other soldiers treat the wounds as he evaluated them. It was the only significant casualty of the sojourn and Yorefi later explained that he had hoped there would have been even more injuries to better prepare the soldiers for field medic experience. In the morning light, the soldiers praised Yorefi as the "Talon-blade", able to rip a wolf's heart out with nothing but the claws of a hawk. Captain of the Imperial Guard After the adoption of his training procedure, Yorefi was established as a Captain yet being only 25 years old was not highly regarded by the rest of command. Many feared his religious affiliations and others simply saw him as a rogue element. However, Khal Menion became very well disposed towards Talinblade. The Lord of Affairs saw him as a similar personality to himself and therefore began testing his abilities. The third Era was marked by an economic golden age as well as rising aggression between the Kessel-Gloran alliance and Greater Sargeroth. Menion tasked Talinblade with creating strategies to maintain control over the entire military. The Lord of Affairs understood just how weak his claim to the military was and decided to use Talinblade as a powerful ally. Yorefi understood the plight of Sargeroth soldiers: to fight until the possibility of death in service to some elected official for which they did not vote. This angered many of the soldiers but many more saw it as a necessity to defend their own families. Due to this mindset, Menion knew it could only be a matter of time until the Military elected their own leader. In return for his help, Talinblade was promised that if he could gain support for his hierarchical system within the military, the Lord of Affairs would seat him at the top. This was the dream of any Sargeroth guard and Talinblade was quick to accept the charge. Talinblade looked at the aspects the Sargeroth military which did not function appropriately. The largest problem was that of the disjointed control of Captains who then answered to an elder council full of fat, lazy, and unconcerned generals. He saw the generals as entirely unnecessary and knew the true leadership was found within the Captains. With this in mind, he brought the following system before the other captains in secret. There would be 12 captains, (at the time there were only 9). These 12 captains would be the greatest warriors from the entire army. They would have an equal number of soldiers under their command. Simultaneously, they would also act as "Imperial Guards" who would be tasked with the personal protection of the Lord of Affairs as well. A Captain would be appointed by the Lord of affairs from among the 12 and be the Lord's personal Military advisor and effectively the leader of the Military. Talinblade's configuration was obviously very popular among the captains. They disdained the generals who were not required to train or even stay in good physical condition yet enjoyed the highest honors. With the unanimous support of the Captains, Talinblade brought the plan before Khal Menion who met with the generals to tell them of his decision. For a description of what happened during this time please refer to the "Sargeroth Guard" wiki page. The Lord of Affairs upheld his promise to Talinblade and appointed him as Captain of the Imperial Guard. Personal Life Much of who Talinblade is as an individual is shrouded. A private man, most of what has been learned has been through secondary sources. As he grew into a military leader, he moved with his sister back to Cliffside. While his sister Una lived there and worked as a textile worker, Yorefi was scarcely seen in the area. He spent most of his time at the Military headquarters in the neutral zone. His duties kept him busy and the two were rarely together. With the death of Glor Gloran, the grandest house in Cliffside became vacant and it was quickly purchased by Yorefi and Una. The two continued to live there until his death. Personal Interests Yorefi was known to enjoy hunting as a boy and as he grew into adulthood, he led hunting expeditions into the southern wastes many times. It became understood quickly to others that part of the "fun" Talinblade enjoyed was that which was most dangerous. Things such as night hunting and even cave delving were favorites of the military leader. Several times not everyone in the hunting party would return safely. This was all dismissed by Talinblade however since Sargerithian culture dictates that there are no laws in the wastes. He believed to die in the midst of battle was an esteemed end and at times openly spoke for his envy of those who did not return. However these comments were only made towards the end of his life. Yorefi was also quite fond of fishing and reading old tomes. In his youth he spent many hours pouring over manuscripts from eras past. He made a habit of learning old dialects and deceased cultures. As he grew in his Floatist faith, this hobby turned into a more religious occupation to look for signs of the Floating God guiding the paths of men long dead. The idea of an unending thread of survivors and heroes leading to his placement in the wider world fascinated him in his youth and urged him towards greatness. Sibling relationship It is clear that Yorefi and Una are very close. Neither have ever married and have never had any children. It is anomalous in Sargeroth culture however for two fully-grown siblings to live together, especially without either having a spouse. Khal Menion's Succession When brother Zwickel was murdered, Yorefi Talinblade was well-established as the Captain of the Imperial guard and was regarded by Khal Menion as his right-hand man. As events slowly escalated, Menion confided in Yorefi that he believed his time as Lord of Affairs was coming to an end. Talinblade would never support these notions but he knew that as good of a leader as Khal Menion was, he was not capable of leading a Nation during a war. Menion had downplayed the power of Lord of Affairs too often for the people to blindly follow him. However, wanting to remain honorable, Yorefi bided his time, hoping that Menion would call for an election wherein he might earn authority. It was not long until Talinblade learned that Menion has appointed the Pontifex of the Floating church, Clovis, to be the next Lord of Affairs after Menion. Talinblade was deeply offended by the move. Although he trusted the Pontifex as a leader, being a floatist himself, he knew a religious leader would have no better authority over the masses than Khal Menion. He finally brought his concerns before the Lord of Affairs, just days before his assassination. Menion comforted Talinblade, telling him that obviously he would have been a better choice of leader. But there was simply more at stake. The Lord of Affairs had to stay true to its original purpose which was to maintain peace in Sargeroth to the best of his abilities. Appointing a military leader would be an obvious divergence from the original intent and therefore only serve to further marginalize the position itself, breeding even more distrust among the commoners. By having another non-military and non-political figure in the position, the Lord of Affairs would stay true while having the leader of the Floating church fill the position would ensure the bias which was most necessary; that which would always oppose the Kessels. Menion feared the Kessel regime above all else and told Talinblade that this war would either end with the Kessels finally being humbled or a Kessel king over Sargeroth. A nascent leader such as Clovis would lean heavily upon Talinblade's word, thus ensuring that Yorefi would remain in an effectual position. It was Khal Menion's last and most politically complicated move. Talinblade was not thrilled with the plan, but agreed to serve Clovis as well as he did Menion. War Breaks out When the attack on the Light district occurred, Yorefi was helping to stock up reserves of weapons and food on the Neutral zone front. The sound from the attack could be heard across the city. Yorefi took off on horseback with 5 other Imperial guardsmen but by the time they made it to the path leading up to the Light district, the Gloran blockade had forced the surviving guards into the lower parts of the city. Yorefi unsuccessfully led 3 charges back into the district to no avail. By nightfall, he awaited news that Menion had either been killed or was being held hostage. In the morning twilight, Talinblade was woken up to see a message from the Glorans atop the cliffs. The head of one man could be seen stuck on a pike facing the Sargeroth forces. It was obvious that no bargaining for Menion's life could be made. Talinblade did not blame himself for the death of his leader. Such an attack by the Glorans was completely unexpected. He immediately called for Clovis and began gathering whatever reserves of manpower he had left in the area. "Holy Piles of Dirt" As both sides prepared for imminent battle, the unofficial lord of affairs, Clovis, was abducted by Kessel-sympathizing Guardsmen. During this time, the two sides participated in brinkmanship on a scale that had never been performed in Sargeroth. Talinblade moved a large army to the east in preparation of a direct assault on Kessel lands. In so doing, he moved his troops into Sedonian controlled lands, very close to extraordinary pillars of hardened clay which were revered as holy and mystical by Sedonians. The move risked war with Sedonia, but with no one to give him orders, Talinblade proceeded with his plan until the Lord of Affairs could be returned. Talinblade was recorded as calling the pillars "holy piles of dirt" which he cared nothing for. However, before a costly attack could begin, Lord of Affairs Clovis was given permission by Lucious Kessel to attend the funeral of Khal Menion. The results of this event eventually caused a retreat of the Sargeroth formation in Sedonia. Clovis Returns With the new Lord of Affairs safely returned to the city, Talinblade was poised to strike directly at the Kessels. However it was clear that his movement of troops to the desert was highly controversial; he was not surprised when Clovis's first command was to pull the soldiers back immediately. Talinblade then focused on the Light District controlled by the Gloran forces. Much to his amazement however, the Torrhen uprising occurred before the Guardsmen could even prepare for another full assault. The confusion gave the Sargeroth soldiers enough time to form a strategy with Kursk Blumen leading a small team of his own. Together the two leaders planned to set up a decoy along the neutral zone to trick the Kessel Military into thinking an attack there was imminent. As soon as the sun dipped below the mountains peak in the west, 200 Sargeroth Guardsmen and 13 Blumen soldiers rushed into the District. The Glorans ousted from the City From their vantage point, it was impossible to sneak up on the Glorans from lower Sargeroth. However the horns signaling to their Kessel Allies could not ensure reinforcements quickly enough. Charging with large Acacian shields, a continuous barrage of arrows was not enough to deter the Coalition soldiers from breaking through the forward ranks of Glorans. The greatly diminished number of Glorans were still buckling from the insurgent Torrhens who every night picked off one or two of their fellow soldiers. However, no Gloran of the forward line fled. Their sacrifice bought precious time for the Gloran royal family (sans Glor) to escape to the north. The fiercest fighting of the entire conflict occurred during the final assault which pushed the remaining Glorans into the northern wastes. The Sargeroth Guard took massive casualties disproportionate to their adversaries. The Blumens even lost 5 of their remaining 13 soldiers. Yorefi Talinblade and Kursk Blumen led the final charge which forced the Gloran vanguard to break formation and run for their lives. The subsequent chase killed several more Glorans, some of whom simply from taking a wrong step and falling to their deaths. At an hour after dusk, Yorefi called off the chase and raised the Sargeroth flag from the Pagoda. The Kessel soldiers sent as reinforcements could only watch from the Northern ridge as their enemies claimed victory.